If you still think hydrogen is just a fad that will blow over, we have news for you. BMW is still determined to launch its first production fuel cell car in 2028. To make it happen, it’s strengthening its relationship with Toyota. The world’s biggest car manufacturer also believes hydrogen has a future in the automotive industry. In the meantime, the German luxury brand is testing the technology in two zero-emission trucks.
BMW Group Logistics will operate a pair of Iveco S-eWay Fuel Cell trucks in Germany. The trial run will involve trips between Leipzig, Landsberg, and Nuremberg. Two hydrogen refueling stations are under construction, one in Leipzig and the other in Hormersdorf. The new facilities will ensure smoother operation between trips. The big rigs will use rapid refueling, with large amounts of hydrogen fed into their tanks.
This might come as a surprise, but there are five hydrogen fuel stations on the grounds of the Leipzig factory. More than 200 forklifts and tugger trains used for internal plant logistics are refueled there. Fun fact: Germany’s first indoor hydrogen fuel station was inaugurated in 2013 at BMW’s plant in Saxony. From 2026, the Regensburg plant will also start using hydrogen-powered tugger trains and forklift trucks.
BMW’s new hydrogen trucks are part of a wider fleet of 16 big hydrogen rigs funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. The H2Haul project aims to test fuel cell drivetrains in a real-life environment rather than an artificial scenario simulated in a laboratory. The fuel cell trucks will be tested in several European countries.
Lessons learned during the trial run will help BMW “develop the technology to market maturity and pave the way for a wide-scale introduction in the road freight sector.” The first BMW hydrogen vehicle sold to customers will likely be based on the next-generation X5. The “G65” will be the company’s first model to offer gasoline and diesel engines, plug-in hybrid drivetrains, a battery-powered EV, and a hydrogen variant. The current X5 “G05” has already been used for a pilot program of iX5 Fuel Cell test vehicles, but these are not for sale.
